


Rustle of Feathers

by killerweasel



Series: A Matter of Trust [4]
Category: Good Omens (TV Series)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, M/M, Wing Grooming, all the feels, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:33:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24185179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killerweasel/pseuds/killerweasel
Summary: Wing grooming and all the feels.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley, Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Beelzebub/Gabriel, Beelzebub/Gabriel (Good Omens)
Series: A Matter of Trust [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741594
Comments: 2
Kudos: 54





	Rustle of Feathers

Title: Rustle of Feathers  
Fandom: Good Omens (TV Series)  
Characters: Aziraphale, Crowley, Gabriel  
Pairings: Aziraphale/Crowley, Beelzebub/Gabriel  
Word Count: 1,510  
Rating: G  
A/N: After Episode 6  
Summary: Wing grooming and all the feels.

"Are you sure you're okay with me grooming Crowley's wings while you're gone?" Gabriel felt his stomach do a flip and regretted having so much for breakfast. "I mean, he's your partner and I'm me, and wings are important. What if I..."

Aziraphale put his hand on Gabriel's chest, pausing the Archangel in mid-sentence. "Gabriel. Crowley and I discussed this last night while you were sleeping. I am perfectly fine with this. He groomed my wings the other day, so I'm not going to participate. I need to go into town to pick some things and then you won't have to worry about me interrupting. It will be fine. You can do this."

"I guess." He glanced over at Crowley, who was watching the entire thing with a tiny smile on his face. "I can't believe you two let me sleep for six hours last night. Why didn't you wake me?"

"You looked very content." Crowley chuckled softly. "I'm not sure if I can get the drool stains out of my jeans."

"My dear, don't be mean." Aziraphale shook his head. "Do either of you have any requests from the bakery?"

"See if they have some of those fantastic cinnamon buns, the ones with the extra frosting, angel. I think Gabriel might like those."

Gabriel shrugged. "Maybe something you think I might like?"

"I should be back after lunch. Enjoy the wing grooming."

\---  


"Are you comfortable?"

"Yup." He looked over his shoulder at Gabriel. "Just take your time and go at whatever pace you like." Crowley summoned his wings, stretching them out. He shifted a little and then rested his head on his arms. "Go for it."

"I don't know why I thought yours would be the exact same color as Beelzebub's." Gabriel traced a finger along the length of Crowley's wing. The texture of the feathers wasn't the same either. He skimmed over the longest bones and paused. "Do you mind if I _really_ see them?"

"You can, but it isn't going to be pretty. Might be a bit much for you to take." He took a deep breath. "Don't look too hard. Your Grace and true form is much more powerful than Aziraphale's and I don't want to end up with an unpleasant suntan."

"I'll be careful." Gabriel took a deep breath. Letting some of his angelic essence free, he opened a second set of eyes to see what had happened to Crowley's wings and why they felt the way they did under his fingertips.

Crowley's left wing had shattered first, striking a rocky wall on his way into the pit. The right broke in several places on impact with the lake of sulfur. Gabriel bit his lip as he gently traced over long-healed bones with his fingertips. They had been re-broken and healed multiple times in an attempt to restore them to how they used to be. These were wings no longer able to fly, wings which kept you grounded, wings which made you angry enough to not only hate everyone around you, but to hate yourself so much it gave you energy.

Gabriel opened the rest of his eyes, the ones which would drive humans mad by sight if they ever witnessed them, reducing them to gibbering shells. Now he could see more of the story, see exactly who it was that healed Crowley's wings. There were hints of Dagon, Beelzebub, Hastur, Ligur, demons Gabriel had never met, and even a little bit of Lucifer in the repaired bones. But why were there so many different magics involved?

"Pissed off the wrong people, made some mistakes, got careless..." Crowley's voice shook Gabriel from what he's doing, almost making him jerk away in surprise. All his extra eyes slammed shut. "Really screwed up a temptation of someone very important, your side got him, and when they were done teaching me a lesson, I hung by my broken wings for a month in one of the deepest pits. Remember when Aziraphale smote the demon Gregor? He was my replacement for a little while."

Crowley shivered under Gabriel's touch as the Archangel straightened out a few feathers. "Once the punishment is up, you get healed. Not in a nice way, but you're fixed and then you get back to work. There are many reasons I stayed on Earth as much as possible. This is only one of them."

"I'm sorry." He wasn't even sure what he was apologizing for and frowned in confusion. "Do you want me to stop?"

"Nah. I'm fine. Aziraphale helped me unload all that after the world didn't end. Still hurts, but not like before. More of a scar now instead of a festering wound. That was then and this is now." Crowley rested his head back down on his arms. "My wings are usually in pretty good shape, so there isn't too much for you to do."

"Your wings are beautiful." He tilted his head, admiring the way the light made them look deep purple instead of jet black. There are tiny white specks scattered through them, like stars in the night sky. "Thank you for letting me do this."

Crowley made a pleased little hum as Gabriel rubbed the base of his wing. "Yours are next. Did you decide what you wanted to do yet?"

"I have more than you two combined. I think you should both do it. If that's okay." He felt his wings, all six of them, tremble with anticipation. "Beelzebub is the only one who has seen my other wings before. But this ritual, it's important. And like you said the other day, go big or go home."

He straightened a few more feathers, checked to make sure he hadn't missed anything, and then sat back. "I think I'm finished. How does it feel, Crowley?"

"Good." Crowley straightened up, extending each wing as far as it could go before folding them back into the ether. "I think we should take a break, have a little snack. Aziraphale will be back soon and then we'll work on your wings together. How does that sound?"

"Sounds really nice, actually."

\---

"Wow. Those are absolutely magnificent, Gabriel." While Gabriel's main wings were pure white, his secondary pair had lavender highlights in the veins and the very edges. Crowley sucked in a breath as the Archangel's third and final pair were brought into the room. These wings actually shimmered in the room's light. The speckles covering them were various shades of purple.

Crowley exchanged an impressed look with Aziraphale before cautiously touching the smallest of the wings in front of him. He heard Gabriel make a noise somewhere between a whimper and groan. "Okay, those are the most sensitive. We'll keep it in mind."

Crowley picked the wings on the right, Aziraphale took the left. They work in tandem, adjusting twisted feathers, straightening others, and removing ones which were broken. Gabriel went from being tense to almost melting in a puddle on the bed. At one point an almost obscene moan came from Gabriel's lips, making everyone in the room flush red.

Most of Gabriel's wings seemed to be completely undamaged, but Crowley came across a nick in one of the bones in the secondary set. While it wasn't life-threatening, it was clearly made with a sword. Crowley debated on looking deeper and decided to just ask. "Who did this to you, Gabriel?"

Gabriel's voice was just above a whisper when he answered. "It happened during the battle just before the Fall. I don't know who did it. They were behind me while I was fighting with one of Lucifer's most dedicated followers. I stumbled to the ground from the sudden pain. The second blow caught me in the shoulder, making my arm go numb. My sword fell from my hand." He tightened his fingers in the blankets. "Michael saved me. She killed one and sent the other tumbling down into Hell."  
  
"Oh." Crowley swallowed a couple of times. "Sometimes I forget demons weren't the only ones damaged during the Fall. It might not be exactly the same, but it's still there." He reached out, setting his hand on Gabriel's back. "You didn't have to say anything. Thank you."

The room fell silent for a bit with the only sound being the soft rustling of feathers. Gabriel's wings were practically gleaming by the time they finished. He stood up slowly as he spread his wings out. The tips brushed the walls on either side of the room. With a little bit of effort, Gabriel sends his wings back into the ether. "Thank you, guys. They feel fantastic."

Aziraphale clapped his hands. "I think we should check out the film Crowley was talking about this morning. We can have those delightful cinnamon buns while we watch. What do you two think?"

"I like the way you think, angel. I'll go get the movie ready."

"What's a cinnamon bun?"

"You're going to enjoy them, Gabriel. They're absolutely heavenly." Aziraphale gave a wiggle. "Come give me a hand in the kitchen."

"Lead the way, Aziraphale."


End file.
